Brief description of decision-making
Decision-making is in a group is sometimes a complex process that requires wide consultation because a common ground has to be reached out of divergent opinions. Last year I joined a youth investment group and our main aim was to pull ideas and resources together to use the locally available resources and make wise investments. The time came when the group had to decide on what investment to make and so division emerged because of the different opinions. Everyone had his own unique idea and believed his or her project is the best and so this was the divergence stage of the group.
A living example of a group that went through divergence, groan zone, and convergence stages
A committee had to be constituted to collect all the proposals and conduct a feasibility study. Each idea had to be scrutinized to determine the viability. At this groan zone, it was found that some ideas were less viable while others were overambitious. The group now had to proceed to the final stage, the convergent stage whereby a decision had to be made on the best business idea out of the many, which had been proposed. The committee that was mandated with the responsibility of determining the commercial viability of the business ideas presented the report before all the members with their recommendations. Everyone agreed with the committee’s recommendations and the report was adopted unanimously. It is, therefore, important to listen to the opposing groups to reach an evidence-based decision (Swap, 2011 p. 76).
The character I would most and least associated with
I associated myself with the character Summer Autumn because she is a passionate and determined environmentalist ready to sacrifice anything just to ensure that Eden Creek is preserved. She saw the need to stand or something and that was to fight for the preservation of the forest and not to allow logging to continue. Mike Davis, the legal counsel for Creek Real Estate Development is the character I would least associate myself with because he shows no concern for the environmental impacts of the planned Creek Estates.
He knew pretty well the importance of conserving the forest because he described how he used to enjoy spending time with his late grandfather but surprisingly he still advises the firm to continue with the project. He even confessed that he had never visited the forest in relation to the proposed project (Healey, 2012 p. 103).
The common ground of the two opposing groups
The two opposing groups, the environmentalists and those who earn a living from logging and the development of estates had a common ground in that both groups wanted Eden Creed to be preserved. The only difference is the approach to preservation; the environmentalists did not want any tree to be cut in the forest whereas the developers and those who benefit from logging wanted to continue with their business while still preserving some trees.
Just as the character, Summer Autumn mentioned it is important to reach common ground by distinguishing between the wants from needs. As much as development is good, it is important to consider its environmental implications. On the other hand, it is also important to understand that there are people who earn their living from logging and it will not be wise to deny them their only source of income. Thus, the government must listen to the two opposing groups while making the regulation policies to ensure there is a balance. Policymakers need to engage the local people living in the forested areas and companies, which are involved in the logging business to ensure that no one is disadvantaged.
Works Cited
Healey, Justin. Forest conservation. Thirroul, N.S.W.: Spinney Press, 2012. Print.
Swap, Walter C.. Group decision making. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 2011. Print.